quote:

Originally posted by mttaylor1066:
I appreciate all the pros and cons everyone is bringing up (that's why I asked the all-knowing, all-seeing Forum!).

I do realize that Ireland is a disarmed society, at least as far as handguns go. My Sigs, Walthers, etc. would have to stay in the States. Except those that I lost in a tragic canoe accident.... those are gone forever!

Does anyone know the specifics of owning shotguns in Ireland? (Googling doesn't give me much of an answer.) They hunt woodcock and grouse there, so am I making a bad assumption that I can eventually own a 12 or 28 gauge?

As far as buying a home, we're not looking at it as an investment. The wife REALLY wants to spend time in Ireland and I REALLY don't want to die in Connecticut... so our motivation is to satisfy emotional needs. (Plus there is golf... there are fantastic golf courses within 2 hours' drive of where we're looking... and Edinburgh is a 95 minute plane ride away.)

Yes, we plan to spend weeks at a time in various locations across Counties Mayo, Galway and maybe Roscommon. We're giving ourselves 18-24 months to really hone in a house.

Read - http://10point9.ie/how-do-i-ap...-a-firearms-licence/

Apply after six months residency. no doubt by then you will have found a LGS to offer you advice.

Good luck.

How many months per year will you live there?

Do you assume people will fly to Ireland to visit? If so, do they have the means to do so?

I know nothing of owning a second home overseas. My experience reflects my wife's family response to her grandparents moving back to France after retiring. They assumed their children and other would visit often. In reality, we were only able to visit every 2-5 years. Their last few years were pretty lonely.

quote:

Originally posted by Russ59:I know nothing of owning a second home overseas. My experience reflects my wife's family response to her grandparents moving back to France after retiring. They assumed their children and other would visit often. In reality, we were only able to visit every 2-5 years. Their last few years were pretty lonely.

That sentence, Sir, is one of the saddest things I've ever read on this forum. It really moved me, I can tell you.

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Originally posted by tacfoley:

quote:

Originally posted by Russ59:I know nothing of owning a second home overseas. My experience reflects my wife's family response to her grandparents moving back to France after retiring. They assumed their children and other would visit often. In reality, we were only able to visit every 2-5 years. Their last few years were pretty lonely.

That sentence, Sir, is one of the saddest things I've ever read on this forum. It really moved me, I can tell you.

Tac, it was sad indeed. Her grandparents moved to France just two months after we got married. Between being poor students, young kids to raise, and saving for homes, traveling overseas was a luxury we could seldom afford. As it was, my wife managed six trips before they passed away.

As for the OP, if it's a vacation home, don't get carried away thinking you'll have 100% occupancy all the time. While oversea travel is more affordable than ever, it still costs $3-6K for a couple to travel 7-10 days overseas.

If I understand correctly you've taken a summer visit there and fallen in love.

It's a beautiful country and with early sunrise in summer and late sunset what isn't to love?

Visit in winter, after the time change. Very short, typically damp days. May give you a true sense if you want to own or make arrangements with an owner to rent a cottage each spring/summer.

OK, I'll try to answer some of your questions and the issues raised by other posters.

Firearms: Sorry, you can't bring over, or licence any of your centerfires pistols. They were effectively banned for new licencees about ten years ago. A few of us still have them under a ‘grandfather’ rule but only as long as we fulfil the licence terms. You can have bolt action centerfires and rimfire rifles for hunting under strict conditions about shooting permissions. You can also licence centerfire bolt actions, lever actions, rimfire semi auto rifles and rimfire pistols if you are a member of a registered target shooting club - you could join one. You can licence a shotgun limited to three rounds for game or clay pigeon shooting with the same licensing requirements above. All firearms licences can be refused by the local police Superintendent (Chief) for a plethora of reasons including his or her dislike of civilian firearms. You can only own a firearm for game, vermin or target shooting - nor self defence.

Citizenship: If one of your Grandparents was an Irish citizen you can apply for citizenship and hold dual nationality.

Taxes: If you are resident in Ireland for something less than 180 days in the year and prove you pay taxes in the US you can avoid income tax. Otherwise there are standardised sales taxes included in the price of goods and utilities, There is also a Property Tax of a few hundred euro annually based on the notional value of your property.

Crime: Is pretty low in Ireland outside of a few urban ghettos and mostly confined to burglaries.

Housing: If you buy your idillic country cottage you will probably have to deal with your own septic treatment plant and possibly your own well, although the majority of properties are connected to treated mains water of good drinkable quality. Again, if you get the idillic country cottage in a remote beauty spot you may not have internet service which is mostly confined to about a three mile radius of towns and villages.

Lastly, you are probably aware that us Irish are a friendly lot living in a small country with lots of relatives in the US. So, be prepared to disappoint random people who will be amazed that you don't know their cousin who also lives in Connecticut

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rosahane,

You're ten years too late. After the 2008 financial crisis property values in Ireland tanked and my wife found several interesting properties at rock bottom prices. Many would have generated rental income to cover their expenses as well as allowing us to visit often if desired.

However, we had also been planning a renovation to our primary home here and ended up doing that with me doing most of the work. In hindsight, we could of lived with our current house as is and should have bought in Ireland. Some of the properties we considered have increased their value 2.5 times.

You can still get good value properties outside the commuting distance from the major cities.

In Galway, for instance, near Moycullen, and for up to €200,000 you have these: https://www.daft.ie/galway/hou...nbur-galway-1069572/

Some nice properties there with fabulous views. Also you are in a great area for trout fishing.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rosahane,

Following, not because I'm going to buy a house, but because I'm going back to tour again.

I stayed in Cong this summer with my wife and daughter. Nice little place called Ashford Castle. Liked it, but really loved Kerry and Dingle peninsulas.

The motivation to purchase a home in Ireland is not really a product of just visiting during the pleasant late summer... although that didn't hurt. The "connection" my wife made with her old family home, her uncle and the Irish strangers who were unfailingly friendly... all combined to spark something in my wife's heart.

"When I think of buying a house in Ireland I feel very hopeful," as she puts it. As for me, I would rather have a second home in Scotland, for the golf. But there is plenty of quality golf in Ireland, so I can compromise there.

Yes, we do plan to visit in different seasons. Although May may not be like November, that is our next planned visit window. I've visited Scotland and France in winter and although it's on the dreary side, it sure as hell beats Connecticut's winter snowfalls of 12+ inches at a pop.

We both want something outside the metro/suburban area. Moycullen is too close to Galway for me.

As we're both a good ways off from retirement, we should be able to keep the visits under the income tax threshold. Thanks for all the help, SFers!

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Originally posted by feersum dreadnaught:
Following, not because I'm going to buy a house, but because I'm going back to tour again.

I stayed in Cong this summer with my wife and daughter. Nice little place called Ashford Castle. Liked it, but really loved Kerry and Dingle peninsulas.

In 1951, the film director John Ford came to the west of Ireland to film “The Quiet Man”, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. The grounds of the castle, as well as nearby Cong, formed the backdrop for much of the action in the film.
https://www.ashfordcastle.com/about/the-quiet-man

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Originally posted by 2BobTanner:

quote:

Originally posted by feersum dreadnaught:
Following, not because I'm going to buy a house, but because I'm going back to tour again.

I stayed in Cong this summer with my wife and daughter. Nice little place called Ashford Castle. Liked it, but really loved Kerry and Dingle peninsulas.

In 1951, the film director John Ford came to the west of Ireland to film “The Quiet Man”, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. The grounds of the castle, as well as nearby Cong, formed the backdrop for much of the action in the film.
https://www.ashfordcastle.com/about/the-quiet-man

The honeymoon cottage in the movie is now the falconry school (we went and flew a pair of Harris Hawks). John Wayne’s room in the castle was 2 down from the one we stayed in. We had a long talk with the castle manager about the movie - they have film buffs from Japan and China that come to the castle, just for the tie-in to the movie. I’d say that the movie has somewhat ruined Cong, in that it is “all Quiet Man, all the time”.

Kinda like the Cliffs of Moher and “The Princess Bride” - not that you cannot appreciate the cliffs, but if you’ve seen the movie, you really need to stop by if you are in the area.

Point being - I’d think part of the attraction might be finding a beautiful area to be, that is not also a tourist destination (as Cong seems to be). A village in the Burren comes to mind, or overlooking the sea, etc- just not crammed with everyone else.

Thanks, Rosahane, very interesting information.

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Originally posted by feersum dreadnaughtA village in the Burren comes to mind, or overlooking the sea, etc- just not crammed with everyone else.

Just remember that the Burran is used by the PDF as an exercise training area for a good deal of the year. It CAN get noisy.

UPDATE:

After 4 years of searching and 363 days of "closing", my wife and I have purchased a home in Ireland.

The house is located at the edge of a small village in northwest County Mayo. It's a town of about 500 people, everyone seems to know everyone else... there are two pubs within an 11 minute walk of the house. There is a fantastic links-style golf course 30 minutes away.

I physically looked at about 30 homes in the west of Ireland, mostly in Co. Kerry and Co. Mayo. We originally bid on a relatively new build house in Kerry. (Almost all homes are sold via online auction these days in Ireland).

That house was about 10 years old and up a single lane road in front of Carrauntoohil mountain, the tallest peak in Ireland. Beautiful view across a west-looking valley... but the bidding for that house quickly went beyond our budget. Thankfully, as it turns out.

Another year of looking at 100's of homes online, plus two more househunting trips to Kerry and Mayo... and up pops a brick two story home, 5 bedrooms(!), overlooking a tidal bay. The owner was moving from this small village to Galway for her work. Built in 1987, the home was in great shape and we started bidding against another family... and we ended up winning the auction. Our new Irish home is MUCH bigger than the previous house... and is much better-situated as we simply walk into the village for groceries and Guinness.

My wife had never seen the house, in person, until after we completed the purchase process. It took 363 days to close because of two competing plot maps. One map had the property "rotated' a few degrees, with one acute triangle taking a sliver out of my neighbor's land and a similar sliver adding to our land. No one was sure which map was correct. (Why two plot maps? I was told "This is Ireland, no one can tell you why.")

I told our Dublin-based solicitor that I'd take the smallest plot footprint, I didn't care about a 6 foot by 25 foot section of dirt under gorse bushes.

"Now, Michael," my solicitor intoned "this is the West of Ireland. People get emotional about three feet of land. It's best we know that everyone agrees on the legal boundaries."

We bargained with the woman to purchase almost all of her furniture, which is quite nice, actually. We just returned from our second week-long stay at the house. The wife loves it. Our neighbors could not be more friendly or helpful. An older couple, Dermot and Sally, are looking after the property for us. (Yes, we're paying them a very reasonable fee.) They live two doors down. Dermot's brother actually constructed the house and his cousin put on the roof. We've met them all at the pub and bought them a few rounds.

The bar man at one pub (Dermot's cousin) gifted me a bottle of poteen (Irish moonshine) "as a housewarming present. The village is happy that the house went to an American couple and not to any British." Dermot tested the quality of the poteen with me... by lighting a tablespoon afire. He declared it "of reasonable quality." We also tested it by imbibing. Firewater.

It's a wonderfully peaceful part of Ireland, with views of moody mountains, surf surging in and out of the bay, quiet country lanes and friendly people. We couldn't be any happier. We're looking forward to many memorable trips to Ireland.



(If anyone knows how to use created links from Adobe Lightroom to share photos, please respond with instructions, nothing I am doing seems to work. This used to be very easy in Lightroom.)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mttaylor1066,

Mttaylor, super awesome you found a great place. Sounds like a great location with good neighbors. The house looks beautiful. I hope to see more photos.

My wife and I are on a scouting trip in Florida. I hope we have as good of luck as you had!

Again, congratulations. I love that the barman gave you a bottle of moonshine. That’s great!

That is very cool. While I haven't been to many foreign countries, Ireland was the only one I'd consider living in. I had a great time there.

What a great saga with an incredible outcome. I’m sure your wife is beyond excited.

Congratulations!

Cool saga for you. Are you pursuing citizenship there?

If testing moonshine becomes a regular thing, it's not too hard to look/smell for methanol contamination. (I think that's part of what the burning is about - I've always found it very easy to smell methanol.)